For anyone currently doing business in Mexico, or thinking about doing business in Mexico, this is a must read.

The World Bank Group has announced that “Doing business became easier in many Mexican states in 2005-2006, according to the new Doing Business in Mexico 2007report, released today in Mexico City. The report finds that some states compare well with the best of the world, while others need much reform to become globally competitive.” – November 15, 2006

Quick results of the top ten Mexican states based upon the factors of; starting a business, registering property, obtaining credit, and enforcing a contract include:

Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes (Easiest)

Guanajuato, Celaya

Nuevo Leon, Monterrey

Sonora, Hermosillo

Campeche, Campeche

Zacatecas, Zacatecas

Queretaro, Queretaro

Michoacan, Morelia

Sinaloa, Culiacan

Mexico City (Most difficult)

A full listing of all the 31 Mexican states is available in the report.

Excerpt from the report: “If you were to open a new business in Mexico City, the start-up procedures would take 27 days on average, 8 days fewer than in Shanghai. If you decided to open a business in Guanajuato or Aguascalientes, you would have to wait 12 days—only one day longer than your competitor in Amsterdam. But if you needed to take a customer to court for a simple debt default in Guanajuato, resolving the dispute would take 304 days—far longer than the 217 days it takes in Dublin,1 but significantly shorter than in Baja California Sur where it takes 581 days. These examples illustrate two patterns. First, some Mexican states compare well with the best in the world. Second, many states need much reform to become globally competitive.”

Starting today, November 4, 2006 there are changes on how to dial to cellular phones in Mexico.

The program called “El que llama paga”, which means “whoever calls, pays for the call”, allows you to call any cellular phone in Mexico and the recipient of the call does not have to pay. Previously the cost of the call was shared between both parties.

If calling Mexico from out of the country (International long distance):

To a fixed landline phone:the exit code of the country (in the USA – “011”) + 52 + area code + telephone number

To a Mexican cellular phone: the exit code of the country (in the USA – “011”) + 52 + 1 + area code + telephone number

If in Mexico, calling from a fixed landline phone to a Mexican cellular phone

To a cellular phone in the same city: 044 + area code + telephone number

To a cellular phone in another city: 045 + area code + telephone number

To a Nextel of the same city: telephone number

To a Nextel of another city: 01 + area code + telephone number

From a fixed landline that is NOT Telmex to a cellular phone of another city: 01 + area code + telephone number

If in Mexico, dialing from a cellular phone

To a fixed landline in the same city: telephone number

To a fixed landline in another city: 01 + area code + telephone number

To a cellular telephone in the same city: area code + telephone number

To a cellular telephone in another city: 045 + area code + telephone number

Looking for a “plug and play” solution for your business or factory in Mexico? Take a hard look at the advantages that Mexican industrial parks offer.

AMPIP(Mexican Association of Business and Industrial Parks) can partner with you and provide contacts and information about Mexico’s industrial and business parks. They work closely with private industry, state and local governments and real estate organizations in order to provide solutions for companies seeking to quickly and easily establish a physical presence in Mexico.

“Investment Promotion
AMPIP has become one of Mexico’s leading agencies for the promotion of foreign investment projects, thanks to its participation in national and international shows, the advertising in specialized media, the alliance with other business associations and the permanent contact with a wide network of corporations and real estate players, as well as with government officials.

Part of the promotion activities include the registration of industrial assets owned by AMPIP members in our Industrial Real Estate Promotion System, available on-line at our Internet site, apart from the printed material, such as location maps edited in conjunction with the Mexican Bank for Foreign Trade (Bancomext), which are distributed worldwide.”

There are specific and unique advantages of industrial and business parks. Saving time and money are among the biggest factors. Access to transportation, power and communication infrastructure is another. The definition of “Industrial Park” will provide some idea of the other advantages.

“What is an Industrial Park?

An industrial park is a delimited extension of land, characterized by four main aspects:

1. It is located close to transport facilities, such as hightways, airports, sea ports and railways.

2. It concentrates essential dedicated infrastructure in one location for industrial operations, such as water (including sewer lines, drainage systems), electricity (including high power supply lines), telecommunications and roads.

3. It fulfills all the prerequisites to obtain the permission from local authorities for the set up of new operations (construction, environment, etc.)

4. It has a central administration that coordinates the internal safety of assets, the maintenance of public infrastructure, the promotion of new operations and the affairs with local authorities”